Side stripping mechanism for linked ammunition



g- 1, 1967 R. w HENSHAW ETAL 3,333,506

SIDE STRIPPING MECHANISM FOR LINKED AMMUNITION Filed June 7, 1965 I 2Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,333,506 SIDE STRIPPING MECHANISMFOR LINKED AMMUNITION Robert W. Henshaw, Burlington, and Douglas P.Tassie,

St. George, Vt., assignors to General Electric Company,

a corporation of New York Filed June 7, 1965, Ser. No. 461,666 5 Claims.(Cl. 89-33) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Wide-toothed sprocket and supportspool for stripping belted ammunition links from individual roundspassing therebetween, in very high rate of fire automatic Weapon system.

This invention relates to ammunition feed mechanisms. More particularly,the invention relates to stripping mechanisms for ammunition feeders orloaders involving linked ammunition.

The invention is particularly adapted for use, for example, in feedersfor high-rate-of-fire multi-barrel Gatling-type machine guns. However,the invention may also be used for other purposes, as for example, inmechanized ammunition storage systems employing a linkless feed system.

Conventional cartridge links for 7.62 millimeter and 5.56 millimeterammunition are designed for end stripping. In end stripping, the link isheld and the ammunition round or cartridge is pushed out of the link inthe axial direction of the cartridge. This technique is useful andapplicable on most conventional weapons which have inherentreciprocating motion.

For extremely high-rate-of-fire multi-barrel Gatlingtype weapons, where10,000 rounds may be fired per minute, rotary motion is prevalent, andthe end stripping procedure requires extra mechanism which addscomplexity to the apparatus and reduces its reliability.

The object of the present invention is to provide for high-rate-of-fireguns a stripping mechanism which is less complex, more reliable, andsubstantially less expensive than presently employed strippingmechanisms.

The mechanism provided by the present invention side strips, rather thanend strips, the ammunition. That is to say, the mechanism provided bythe present invention provides means for driving the link laterally fromthe cartridge, as distinguished from driving the cartridge axially fromthe link.

Briefly summarized, the stripping action is accomplished, according to apreferred embodiment of the present invention, by providing, at thestripping station, a freely rotatable support spool positioned on theunderside of the ammunition path for supporting the ammunition round(still retained in the link), on the large diameter ends or flanges ofthe spool. Provided above the ammunition path is a link-strippingsprocket whose teeth or radial arms are long, wide and thin, likepaddles. The ammunition belt is a known form of belt formed by roundslinked by a known form of link which has a double-loop forward portionand a single-loop rearward portion. The forward portion is clipped to apreceding round, and the rearward portion is clipped to the followinground. The ammunition belt is drawn between the sprocket and supportspool, and when the round has contacted and is supported by the supportspool, the tip of one of the radial arms of the stripping sprocketengages a central portion of the link, and as the rotation of thesprocket continues, the movement of the radial arm drives thedouble-loop portion of the link outward or downward, forcing thisportion of the link off the round and onto the hubs of the supportspool. The following round now arrives at the flanges of the spool, andwith the spool hubs supporting the forward portion of the partiallystripped link, as sprocket rotation continues, the single-loop rearwardportion of the link is cammed pivotally oil the following round. Thissingle loop rearward portion of the link is then received into the areasurrounding the core of the support spool, and the completely strippedlink is ejected through a suitable exit. The support spool is mountedfor free rotation to reduce the drag as the ammunition belt is pulledthrough the stripping mechanism at maximum speed.

The present invention, summarized above, will be more clearly understoodfrom the following more detailed description of a preferred formselected for illustration in the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan diagrammatic illustration of a stripper mechanismaccording to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a diagrammatic side elevational illustration, partlyinsection, of the stripper mechanism looking along the line IIII inFIGURE 1 in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatic end elevational illustration, in section,looking along the line IIIIII of FIG- URE 2 in the direction of thearrows;

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view looking down along the line IVIV of FIGURE 2in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 5 is a diagrammatic side elevational illustration, in section,generally similar to a portion of FIG- URE 2 showing the condition atthe stripping station as the rearward single-loop portion of the link iscammed from the round;

FIGURE 6 is an illustration of a single link of the type employed in theammunition belt here involved;

FIGURE 7 illustrates the manner in which the links of FIGURE 6- linktogether successive rounds of ammunition; and

FIGURE 8 is a diagrammatic side elevational illustration showing therelationship of the side stripping mechanism to a high-rate-of-fire gunfeeder mechanism.

Referring first to FIGURE 6, which illustrates one of the metal links10, it is to be understood that the link 10 is a known type of linkwhich of itself forms no part of the present invention. The strippingmechanism of the invention is designed to side strip this type of linkfrom the ammunition round. It will be seen from FIGURE 6 that the link10 consists of three C-shaped loops, 10a, 10b and 100, two of which,namely, loops 10a and 10b, are co-axial about the common axis B and thethird of which, loop 100, is co-axial about the axis C, the axes B and Cbeing parallel to each other. The double loops 10a and 1% are spacedapart as shown and the space therebetween is adapted to receive thesingle center loop of an adjoining link 10. This is illustrated inFIGURE 7 which shows three links and three rounds of ammunition. It willbe understood that the area on either side of the single center loop 100receives the 6 spaced-apart double loops a" and 10b" of an adjoininglink 10" which lies on the right side of link 10, as viewed in FIGURES 6and 7. It will be seen then that the round R of ammunition which liesalong the axis of FIGURES 6 and 7 is clipped by and cradled in threeloops, two of which, 10a and 10b, are the double loops of link 10, andthe third of which, 100, is the single center loop of a precedingadjacent link 10'. In similar manner, the ammunition round R" which liesalong the following axis C is clipped by and cradled in the center loop100 of link 10 and the spaced-apart double loops 10a" and 10b" of thefollowing link 10", all of which is clearly illustrated in FIGURE 7. Itwill be seen then that with the double loops 10a and 10b of link 10clipped to the ammunition round R located on axis B and the center loop106 of link 10 clipped to ammunition round R" on axis C, the two roundsof ammunition R and R" are linked together. In this manner theammunition belt is formed.

FIGURE 2 illustrates diagrammatically the mechanism provided by thepresent invention for delinking the ammunition belt by side strippingthe links 10 from the rounds R. While the stripping mechanism of thepresent invention is particularly adapted for use in the feeder ofhigh-rate-of-fire guns (such as is illustrated in FIGURE 8 later to bedescribed), the mechanism shown diagrammatically in FIGURE 2 may be usedfor other purposes, in fact it may be used wherever it is desired tostrip the links from the rounds. One example of such other use is in thefeeding of rounds into a gun which employs a drum in which linklessrounds are stored in a helix track.

Referring now to FIGURE 2, and also to FIGURES 1 and 3 which are otherviews of the same mechanism, the ammunition belt formed by the linkedrounds R interconnected by links 10 of the type shown in FIGURES 6 and 7is drawn in the direction indicated by the arrow D through the sprocket40. It should be understood that this stripping mechanism will alsooperate when the single loop of a link enters before the double loop. Inbeing so drawn, the rounds R pass over and are supported by a roller 50and a spool 30. Roller 50 and spool 30 are mounted for free rotation,and these elements rotate in the direction indicated by the arrows asthe ammunition belt is drawn through the sprocket 40. In thediagrammatic illustration of FIGURE 2, sprocket 40 may be assumed to bedriven positively by means not shown.

FIGURE 3 shows how the ammunition round R is supported by spool 30 whilethe round R is still cradled in the link 10. As seen in FIGURE 3, thedistance between the inner surfaces of the flanges 31 and 32 of thesupport spool 30 is made slightly greater than the length of the link 10so that the spool flanges engage and support the ammunition round R oneach side of the link 10.

Referring again momentarily to FIGURE 6, which illustrates the link 10,it will be seen that the double loops, such as 10a and 10b, of link 10are connected to the single center loop 10c by interconnecting stripportions 10a and 10a, and, as seen most clearly in FIGURE 4, theseinterconnecting strip portions 10d and 102 are disposed diagonallyrelative to the axes B and C of the loop portions of the link.

Returning now to FIGURE 2, this figure depicts five rounds of ammunitionR passing through the stripping station. For convenience, the fiverounds will be identified as R/ 1 through R/5, and the links 10associated therewith will, for convenience, be identified as 10/1through 10/5. In FIGURE 2, the first two rounds, R/ 1 and R/Z, have beencompletely stripped, and links 10/1 and 10/2 of these two rounds areseen to be passing through, or about to pass through, the link ejectionexit. The single-loop center portion of the second link 10/2, which hadbeen clipped around the third round R/ 3 has been removed, but thedouble-loop portions of the third link 10/ 3 still embrace the thirdround R/ 3. Tooth 40/3 of sprocket 40 is about to engage the centerportion of the link 10/3.

4 This engagement takes place at the interconnecting strip portions ofthe link corresponding to interconnecting strip portions 10d and We oflink 10 in FIGURE 6. This point of engagement is clearly seen in FIGURE4.

In FIGURE 2, round R/ 3 is in contact with the flanges 31 and 32 ofspool 30 and accordingly round R/3 is supported against the downwardcomponent of thrust about to be applied to link 10/3 by the tooth 40/3.The rearward single loop portion of link 10/ 3 is supported against thisthrust by roller 50. The axial relationship of the teeth of the sprocket40 to the linked round R/3 and to the support spool 30 is clearly seenin FIGURE 3.

As the sprocket 40 rotates, the downward thrust of tooth 40/3 drives theforward double-loop portions of link 10/3 from round R/ 3, and therearward single-loop portion of link 10/3 pivots about round RM, The nowdelinked forward double-loop portions of link 10/3 soon make contactwith and are supported by the hub portions 31a and 32a of spool 30, andthe next round, round R/ 4, arrives at and is supported by the largediameter flange portions 31 and 32 of the spool. This situation isillustrated in FIGURE 5. As the rotation of sprocket 40 and the downwardthrust of tooth 40/3 continues, the singlelooprearward portion of link10/3 is cammed pivotally from the round R/ 4, and enters the regionadjacent core 33 of spool 30. Link 10/ 3, now completely stripped fromrounds R/ 3 and R/ 4, passes through the link ejection exit. Thiscompletes the stripping cycles.

The side stripping mechanism of FIGURES 1-5 described above is adaptedfor use on the feeder of highrate-of-fire guns, such for example, as a5.56 or 7.62 millimeter gun capable of 10,000 shots per minute. FIG- URE8 illustrates the side stripping mechanism incorporated into the feederof a multi-barrel gun which fires consecutively with individual boltsfor each barrel. Thus, while one round is being fired, another is beingloaded. The weapon shown in FIGURE 8 has a belt pulling sprocket 60 forpulling the ammunition belt. The axis of rotation of the belt pullingsprocket 60 coincides with the axis of rotation of the strippingsprocket 40, these sprockets being driven by means not shown. Theammunition belt is pulled by the sprocket 60 through the feed chute 61,over the roller 50, over the cartridge support spool 30, into the radialpockets of the stripping sprocket 40 where stripping takes place asalready dedescribed hereinabove in connection with FIGURES 15. Theremoved links 10 are ejected through the link ejection exit 62 and thestripped cartridges pass on past clearing gate 63 into the gun rotor 64.The fired cases are ejected from the exit 65.

As shown in FIGURE 8, and also in FIGURE 2, the tips of the radial teethof the stripping sprocket 40 are canted forwardly relative to the radialaxis of the re mainder of the tooth. This design allows the strippingaction to take place without interference between parts. This canting isnecessary due to the movement of the cartridges in this weapon design,however, sprocket teeth which are straight will still perform the sidestripping function.

A major advantage of the stripping mechanism of the present inventionresides in eliminating the complex mechanism heretofore employed, withresultant increase in reliability and reduction of costs. For example,in the high-rate-of-fire 5.56 millimeter multi-barrel gun heretoforereferred to, approximately twenty parts (not including the associatedmounting hardware, gears, bearings, etc.) can be eliminated by thesimplified mechanism of the present invention.

While the preferred embodiment of this invention has been described insome detail, it Will be obvious to one skilled in the art that variousmodificationsmay be made without departing from the invention ashereinafter claimed.

Having described our invention, we claim:

1. A link stripping mechanism for the feeder of a high rate-of-fire gunhaving a belt pulling sprocket for pulling the ammunition belt, andwherein the ammunition belt is formed by ammunition rounds linkedtogether by links having double-loop forward end portions clipped to apreceding round and a single-loop rearward center portion clipped to afollowing round, said double-loop and single-loop portions beingconnected by a pair of spacedapart interconnecting portions, said linkstripping mechanism comprising: a stripping sprocket mounted forrotation above said ammunition belt and having elongated radial teeththe tip portions of which are of suflicient width to engage said pair ofinterconnecting portions of a link and to impose an outward thrustthereon as said stripping sprocket rotates, and a support spool mountedbelow said ammunition belt disposed substantially opposite saidstripping sprocket for receiving components of force imposed by theteeth of said stripping sprocket, said spool having large-diameterflanges disposed to engage the round at spaced points outside the linkclipped thereto and to support the round against the thrust imposed bysaid sprocket teeth, said spool having smallerdiameter hub portionsdisposed to be engaged by the double-loop forward portions of apartially stripped link and to receive a portion of the thrust imposedby the sprocket tooth during the time that the single-loop rearwardportion of the link is being forced from the succeeding round, anotherportion of said last-named thrust being received by the large-diameterflanges of said spool supporting the succeeding round, said succeedinground by this time having come into engagement with said flanges of saidspool.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 further characterized in that saidspool has a still smaller diameter core, the region surrounding saidcore receiving the single-loop rearward center portion of a strippedlink.

3. In an ammunition handling system wherein an ammunition belt, formedof a plurality of ammunition rounds disposed in parallel relation andlinked together by clip links, is moved along a path transverse to thelongitudinal axes of the rounds, and wherein each link H has asingle-loop center portion extending in one lateral direction relativeto the axes of the rounds and doubleloop end portions extending in theopposite lateral direction, said center and end portions of each linkbeing connected together by interconnecting strip portions, the cen--ter portion of one link being disposed between the two end portions ofan adjacent link, whereby each round is cradled in a single-loop centerportion of one link and in the double-loop end portions of an adjacentlink, the improvement of a stripping mechanism for separating the linksfrom the rounds at a stripping station, said stripping mechanismcomprising:

support means on one side of said belt for supporting the rounds as theyare moved along said path past said stripping station, said supportmeans including a spool mounted for free rotation, said spool havingspaced-apart, large-diameter flange portions for engaging and supportingthe rounds on either side of the link-engaged portions, and havingspaced-apart, smaller-diameter hub portions for engaging and supportingthe double-loop portions of a partially stripped link; and

thrust means on the other side of said belt at said stripping stationfor engaging the links successively at the interconnecting stripportions intermediate adjacent rounds, thereby applying a component offorce toward said support means for stripping oil the double-loop endportions of a link from one round and the single-loop center portion ofthe same link from an adjacent round.

4. In an ammunition handling system wherein an ammunition belt, formedof a plurality of ammunition rounds disposed in parallel relation andlinked together by clip links, is moved along a path transverse to thelongitudinal axes of the rounds, and wherein each link has a single-loopcenter portion extending in one lateral direction relative to the axesof the rounds and doubleloop end portions extending in the oppositelateral direction, said center and end portions of each link beingconnected together by interconnecting strip portions, the center portionof one link being disposed between the two end portions of an adjacentlink, whereby each round is cradled in a single-loop center portion ofone link and in the double-loop end portions of an adjacent link, theimprovement of a stripping mechanism for separating the links from therounds at a stripping station, said stripping mechanism comprising:

support means on one side of said belt for supporting the rounds as theyare moved along said path past said stripping station, said supportmeans including a spool mounted for free rotation, said spool havingspaced-apart, large-diameter flange portions for engaging and supportingthe rounds on either side of the link-engaged portions, and havingspaced-apart, smaller-diameter hub portions for engaging and supportingthe double-loop portions of a partially stripped link; and

thrust means on the other side of said belt at said stripping stationfor engaging the links successively at a center point intermediateadjacent rounds, said thrust means including a sprocket mounted forrotation on said other side of said path, said sprocket having elongatedradial teeth with tip portions sufficiently wide to engage saidinterconnecting strip portions of said links, thereby applying acomponent of force toward said support means for stripping off thedouble-loop end portions of a link from one round and the single-loopcenter portion of the same link from an adjacent round.

5. In an ammunition handling system wherein an ammunition belt, formedof a plurality of ammunition rounds disposed in parallel relation andlinked together by clip links, is moved along a path transverse to thelongitudinal axes of the rounds, and wherein each link has a single-loopcenter portion extending in one lateral direction relative to the axesof the rounds and doubleloop end portions extending in the oppositelateral direction, said center and end portions of each link beingconnected together by interconnecting strip portions, the center portionof one link being disposed between the two end portions of an adjacentlink, whereby each round is cradled in a single-loop center portion ofone link and in the double-loop end portions of an adjacent link, theimprovement of a stripping mechanism for separating the links from therounds at a stripping station, said stripping mechanism comprising:

support means on one side of said belt for supporting the rounds as theyare moved along said path past said stripping station, said supportmeans including,

a spool mounted for free rotation, said spool having spaced-apart,large-diameter flange portions for engaging and supporting the rounds oneither side of the link-engaged portions, and having spaced-apart,smaller-diameter hub portions for engaging and supporting thedouble-loop portions of a partially stripped link, and

a support roller on said one side of said path preceding said spool forsupporting a following round and for taking the thrust on thesingle-loop rearward portion of the link, while the double-loop forwardportion is being removed from the preceding round; and

thrust means on the other side of said belt at said stripping stationfor engaging the links successively at a center point intermediateadjacent rounds, said thrust means including a sprocket mounted forrotation on said other side of said path, said sprocket having elongatedradial teeth with tip portions sufficiently Wide to engage saidinterconnecting strip portions of said links, said tip portions beingcanted forwardly in the direction of rotation of said sprocket, therebyapplying a component of force toward said 3,333,506 7 8 support meansfor stripping off the double-loop end FOREIGN PATENTS portions of a linkfrom one round and the single-loop center portion of the same link froman adjacent 584368 1/1947 Great Bntamround.

References Cited 5 BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT. Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENTS S. C. BENTLEY, Assistant Examiner. 2,453,78611/1948 Dixon 89-33

1. A LINK STRIPPING MECHANISM FOR THE FEEDER OF A HIGHRATE-OF-FIRE GUNHAVING A BELT PULLING SPROCKET FOR PULLING THE AMMUNITION BELT, ANDWHEREIN THE AMMUNITION BELT IS FORMED BY AMMUNITION ROUNDS LINKEDTOGETHER BY LINKS HAVING DOUBLE-LOOP FORWARD END PORTIONS CLIPPED TO APRECEDING ROUND AND A SINGLE-LOOP REARWARD CENTER PORTION CLIPPED TO AFOLLOWING ROUND, SAID DOUBLE-LOOP AND SINGLE-LOOP PORTIONS BEINGCONNECTED BY A PAIR OF SPACEDAPART INTERCONNECTING PORTIONS, SAID LINKSTRIPPING MECHANISM COMPRISING: A STRIPPING SPROCKET MOUNTED FORROTATION ABOVE SAID AMMUNITION BELT AND HAVING ELONGATED RADIAL TEETHTHE TIP PORTIONS OF WHICH ARE OF SUFFICIENT WIDTH TO ENGAGE SAID PAIR OFINTERCONNECTING PORTIONS OF A LINK AND TO IMPOSE AN OUTWARD THRUSTTHEREON AS SAID STRIPPING SPROCKET ROTATES, AND A SUPPORT SPOOL MOUNTEDBELOW SAID AMMUNITION BELT DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY OPPOSITE SAIDSTRIPPING SPROCKET FOR RECEIVING COMPONENTS OF FORCE IMPOSED BY THETEETH OF SAID STRIPPING SPROCKET, SAID SPOOL HAVING LARGE-DIAMETERFLANGES DISPOSED TO ENGAGE THE ROUND AT SPACED POINTS OUTSIDE THE LINKCLIPPED THERETO AND TO SUPPORT THE ROUND AGAINST THE THRUST IMPOSED BYSAID SPROCKET TEETH, SAID SPOOL HAVING SMALLERDIAMETER HUB PORTIONSDISPOSED OT BE ENGAGED BY THE DOUBLE-LOOP FORWARD PORTIONS OF APARTIALLY STRIPPED LINK AND TO RECEIVE A PORTION OF THE THRUST IMPOSEDBY THE SPROCKET TOOTH DURING THE TIME THAT THE SINGLE-LOOP REARWARDPORTION OF THE LINK IS BEING FORCED FROM THE SUCCEEDING ROUND, ANOTHERPORTION OF SAID LAST-NAMED THRUST BEING RECEIVED BY THE LARGE-DIAMETERFLANGES OF SAID SPOOL SUPPORTING THE SUCCEEDING ROUND, SAID SUCCEEDINGROUND BY THIS TIME HAVING COME INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID FLANGES OF SAIDSPOOL.